Pakistan Council Of Research In Water Resource (PCRWR) To Increase Crops Growth Through Bringing Abondoned Land Under Cultivation

Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resource (PCRWR) has introduced a project to bring the abandoned land under cultivation and provide suitable environment for the seed germination and subsequent crop growth.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jun, 2018 ) :Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resource (PCRWR) has introduced a project to bring the abandoned land under cultivation and provide suitable environment for the seed germination and subsequent crop growth.

The other basic objective of the project called `On-Farm Tile Drainage' is to reuse the drainage effluent and blending fresh canal water to reduce disposal problems for reclaiming saline and saline-sodic soils by using different amendments.

Council has recovered 1000 hectares of abandoned farmers land for production through this new technology, an official told APP.

"Under this programme, 1000 hectares of abandoned farmers land was recovered for production while the replication of this concept to other parts of Sindh would help reclaim thousand acres of unproductive land, besides sustaining the system on long term basis", he said.

He informed that the three year (2017-2020) development project worth Rs55.262 is being implemented in the neglected waterlogged, saline and low-lying areas of old river bed in the Sindh province.

These old river beds are naturally low lying areas which are located on both sides of River Indus, comprising of thousands hectares of agricultural waste land, he informed.

Mostly, land of old river bed is uncultivated or only cultivated in Kharif season being low lying, having severe water logging and salinity problems, the chairman said adding, high water table associated with buildup of soil salinity has converted productive land into waste land especially in these typical areas.

This project will cover the districts of Shaheed Benazirabad and Sanghar or other areas where agriculture land is seriously affected by water logging and salinity, the official stated.

Elaborating the objectives of the projects, he said, it would help integrated drainage and water management concept among land owners to control watertable and reclaim saline lands.

While it will also be beneficial to develop research and demonstration tile drainage unit at two sites of 100 acres each under different soil conditions with farmer's participation, he shared.

The official further said implementation of this project would help It would also control water table and salinity which would provide opportunity to farmers for changing cropping pattern and increase annual income.